The Northern Lights From a Northern View

That lucky old sun that keeps rolling around heaven all day is feeling particularly perky this year, which according to scientists, means that the active solar cycle is going to light up your life with a Northern Lights display we haven’t seen the likes of in more than a decade.

And, with a vantage point just outside of the Arctic Circle, the coolest place to view this super hot light show is Iceland. As a result, there’s a variety of tour opportunities and hotel offerings to provide the best birds eye view of this 2012 phenomenon.

Seeing the Sights For only $65 pp, your clients can enjoy a 3-hour Northern Lights Hunt on Sea tour with Special Tours. Guests will be picked up from their hotel for their evening cruise, departing from Reykjavik’s Old Harbor. From the ship they’ll take in sights of the mountainous terrain surrounding the city, as well as the colorful swirls above. Hot drinks and warm clothing to wear on board are also provided. For more information, visit specialtours.is.

Active adventurers might enjoy the Golden Circle & Magical Nights tour with Icelandic Mountain Guides. This tour takes hikers through the “Golden Circle” of natural wonders—Thingvellir National Park, Geysir and Strokkur geysers, and Gullfoss waterfall. Also included in the trip is a visit to Fontana geothermal spa with hot spring bathing, dinner, and the chance to see the Northern Lights. Rates start at $254 pp. For more information, visit mountainguides.is.

Another option is the Hotel Borg in Reykjavik’s citycenter, just across from the Icelandic parliament and cathedral. It’s also within walking distance from a variety of restaurants, art galleries, and specialty and souvenir shops. The 56-room property also features the Silfur restaurant, serving up traditional Icelandic cuisine. Rates start at $195 dlb, $153 sgl. For more information, visit hotelborg.is.

Doing It All Your clients’ airfare, hotel and tour is combined in the Iceland Northern Lights & Glacier Walk package from IcelandAir. Available through March 26, the package includes a guided walking glacier tour, dinner tour, luxurious spa visit and a tour to search out the Northern Lights, as well as hotel stay and roundtrip airfare from Boston, New York (JFK), Seattle or Washington DC (IAD). Rates start at $767 pp. For more information, visit icelandair.us.

For 50 years, Recommend has been helping travel agents sell travel by providing them with in-depth destination and product information through coverage found in our travel agent magazine and website. Its editors travel the globe previewing, reviewing, and crafting experiential articles that make for some of the most informative and engrossing destination content available today.